The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1887-12-22
MAMMOTH ENTERPRISE.
CO0PER'S IMMENSE NEW
BRICK WAREHOUSE.
LARGEST AND BEST EQUIPPED
ESTABLISHMENT OF THE
KIND IN NORTH
CAROLINA.
A BRIEF SKETCH OF THE
PROPRIETOR.
An Honorable and Successful
Business Career.

which, taken at the Hood, leads on 10
fortune
Perhaps the truth of this wise saying
of the great Bard of Avon was never
more fully illustrated than in the case
Of Mr.. David Y. Cooper, sketch Of
whose life and successful business ca
reer in part the GOLD LEAF takes a
| pleasure in presenting to its readers
to-day, together with beautiful en-
craving of
! COOPER'S MAMMOTH NEW BRICK WARE
HOUSE,
recently built ; and we make no apol
| ogy for saying a few words about this
house and the history OF the business
that has arisen and developed in our
midst until such building is neces
sary. And we doubt if there is an es-
! adjustment of the kind in Virginia or
| North Carolina SO near model in all
respects. To any one who is &C
quainted with Henderson and her
rapid growth since 1873, it is only
necessary to say that Mr.. D. Y. Cooper
is the proprietor of this house and runs
therein his immense business Of selling
and buying leaf tobacco.
4 Up to 1873 Henderson was but a
quiet railway station with only a few
hundred inhabitants and such unpre~
tentious wooden structures as were
necessary to afford them dwelling
houses and places to accommodate
the small amount of business that was
then done here. In that year the sale
of tobacco was commenced in Hender-
son and ever since the growth of the
town has been rapid and substantial,
if not quite phenomenal In fact, so
steadily and rapidly has it grown,
Henderson has been the admiration of
its friends, the envyfof its rivals and
the wonder OF all. What was but a
small, sleepy hamlet fifteen years ago,
has been transformed into one of the
most wide-awake, enterprising and
progressive towns IN the South, and
the leading bright tobacco market in
North Carolina. From one small
warehouse in 1878, during which year
there was sold on this market less than
$780, 900 pounds, there are now five
large houses for the sale of the leaf,
and between 50 and 60 regular buy
ers. The amount of tobacco sold here
for the year ending Oct. 1st, 1887,
was S,9o2,35o pounds. This gives
some idea of the growth Of Henderson
as tobacco market, while other lines
of trade have increased in proportion.
We doubt if any market in the State
is SO we'll equipped for handling this
great staple as ours. Besides the ware
houses where the leaf is sold, there are
many large and we'll appointed struc-
lures of wood and brick devoted to
the storing and handling of "the
weed. -
One after another new enterprises
are established and the spirit of i'm
provement marks the progress of the
town in all departments Of industrial
development. Each season finds it
increasing its already large volume of
business and adding new territory to
its trade. While there are other in
terests here beside tobacco, it cannot
be denied that this has been the chief
element in making Henderson what
she is to-day. And in our opinion
upon no one man or business has her
growth been SO interlocked or depend
ent than upon Cooper's Warehouse
and Mr.. d. Y. Cooper, who from the
very first has been the leading spirit
in her tobacco interests. Coming here
a young man, with comparatively little
money, he entered into the work Of
building up a tobacco market in Hen
derson, and he has labored with untir-
ing zeal and unremitting effort at all
times ever since. Others have gone
away to other towns where in their
fancy they saw booms that would swal-
low up all rivals and wipe out Hen
derson as a tobacco market, but not SO
with Mr.. Cooper. With keen business
foresight and an abiding faith in the
future of the town, he stood firm and
worked on, until to-day he is the old
est warehouseman in the State Gin con-
tinuou5 years IN the business) and has
made possible the splendid trade and
business that has developed Henderson
into tie leaf market of the State; and
made necessary and paved the way to
the building of the magnificent ediice
that bears his name and stands a mon.
ument to his industry and enterprise.
In 1872 work was commenced on
Cooper's Warehouse, an insignificant
story frame building on the cor.
; ner of Garnett and Montgomery streets
The first tobacco was sold in it or
!, the 29th day of January, 1878. The
: firm then was ]. c. & D. Y. Cooper
Mr.. d. Y. Cooper having associated
with him his uncle Mr.. J. c. Cooper
: ST., of Oxford. This building was occu
e pied until 1878, when the present site
was purchased and a new frame build
ing erected thereon 5ox14o feet to &C
: commodate their growing business
: In the mean time the original house
| had been several times enlarged. The
r firm remained the same until 1884
: when it was dissolved by mutual con
= sent, the business passing into thu